← Fame through time1900-1999
The 20th century
Whose names filled the books of the 20th century - anyone at all, however long dead - counted as mentions per million words printed, so a period that simply published more does not inflate anyone.
Talked about then
Whose names appeared most in English books during the 20th century, whenever they lived.
- 1
Jesus30 - 2
Aristotle7.1 - 3
Plato7.1 - 4
Homer7.1 - 5
Augustus4.9 - 6
Johns Hopkins4.4 - 7
Cicero4.0 - 8
George Washington3.8 - 9
Socrates3.4 - 10
Virgil3.3 - 11
Abraham Lincoln2.0 - 12
Euclid1.9 - 13
Thomas Jefferson1.6 - 14
Ovid1.6 - 15
Mark Twain1.5 - 16
Plutarch1.5 - 17
Cleopatra1.4 - 18
Theodore Roosevelt1.4 - 19
Woodrow Wilson1.4 - 20
William Henry1.3 - 21
Benjamin Franklin1.3 - 22
Herodotus1.3 - 23
Charlemagne1.3 - 24
Rembrandt1.3 - 25
Euripides1.2
Lived then
The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 20th century, ranked where coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Jordan Peterson0 decades - 2
Marshall McLuhan7 decades - 3
James Randi3 decades - 4
John Kenneth Galbraith7 decades - 5
Albert Bandura6 decades - 6
Yoshua Bengionot measured- - 7
Erving Goffman6 decades - 8Shulamith Firestonenot measured-
- 9
Michael Ignatieffnot measured- - 10
Birutė Galdikasnot measured- - 11
Myron Scholes3 decades - 12
Ian Stevensonnot measured- - 13
Henry Mintzberg Storchnot measured- - 14
Jean Vaniernot measured- - 15
Robert Langlandsnot measured- - 16
Peter Howittnot measured- - 17
Robert Mundell2 decades - 18Donald O. Hebbnot measured-
- 19Hans Moravecnot measured-
- 20
Vaclav Smilnot measured- - 21
Gad Saadnot measured- - 22
Ian Hackingnot measured- - 23
Brenda Milnernot measured- - 24
Will Kymlickanot measured- - 25
David Eastonnot measured- - 26Gerald Cohennot measured-
- 27
Suzanne W. Simardnot measured- - 28
David Cardnot measured- - 29
Laurence J. Peternot measured- - 30
Bohdan Hawrylyshynnot measured- - 31
Louis Nirenbergnot measured- - 32
Patricia Churchlandnot measured- - 33
Charles Brenton Huggins0 decades - 34
Harold Innisnot measured- - 35J. I. Packernot measured-
- 36Robert D. Harenot measured-
- 37
Don Tapscottnot measured- - 38Paul Churchlandnot measured-
- 39
William Kahannot measured- - 40
Kenneth E. Iversonnot measured- - 41J. Philippe Rushtonnot measured-
- 42
Albert W. Tuckernot measured-
- 43
Michel Evgenij Chossudovskynot measured- - 44
Philip J. Currienot measured- - 45Ramin Jahanbegloonot measured-
- 46
John Peters Humphreynot measured- - 47Jacob Vinernot measured-
- 48Eric A. Havelocknot measured-
- 49
Alexander Koshetznot measured- - 50
Dorothy E. Smithnot measured- - 51
Irving Kaplanskynot measured- - 52
Shirley M. Tilghmannot measured- - 53
Wael Hallaqnot measured- - 54
Robert Elsienot measured- - 55
John McCallumnot measured- - 56
Maria Klawenot measured- - 57
Diamond Jennessnot measured- - 58Dale Russellnot measured-
- 59Gregory Baumnot measured-
- 60
Leo Panitchnot measured- - 61
James Bertram Collipnot measured- - 62
Ingrid Mattsonnot measured- - 63
Aloysius Ambrozicnot measured- - 64
Tiff Macklemnot measured- - 65
Richard Foltznot measured- - 66
William Schabasnot measured- - 67
David Parnasnot measured- - 68David Gauthiernot measured-
- 69
Jeremy Narbynot measured- - 70
Jerrold E. Marsdennot measured- - 71
Marius Barbeaunot measured- - 72Donald B. Redfordnot measured-
- 73
Colin Munro MacLeodnot measured- - 74
Lauchlin Currienot measured-
- 75
William E. Reesnot measured- - 76Andrew Granvillenot measured-
- 77
John Mightonnot measured- - 78Leo Mosernot measured-
- 79
Ivan M. Nivennot measured- - 80Elliott Jaquesnot measured-
- 81Robert W. Coxnot measured-
- 82
Michèle Lamontnot measured- - 83
Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuvenot measured- - 84Evan Thompsonnot measured-
- 85
Václav Chvátalnot measured- - 86Bruce Triggernot measured-
- 87C. B. Macphersonnot measured-
- 88
János Aczélnot measured- - 89
Simon Plouffenot measured- - 90Paul Thagardnot measured-
- 91
Brian Goodwinnot measured- - 92
Stephen Poloznot measured- - 93Jonathan Borweinnot measured-
- 94
Oleh Hornykiewicznot measured- - 95
Jack Edmondsnot measured- - 96
Brian Massuminot measured- - 97Tak Wah Maknot measured-
- 98Donald Kingsburynot measured-
- 99
David Matasnot measured- - 100Nahum Sonenbergnot measured-
How to read these rankings
- Attention, not reputation. A place on these lists reflects the attention a person still draws in the public record. It is not a judgement on the life.
- Fame in print. The curves show how often a name appeared in the books of each decade from 1800 to 2019, drawn from the Google Books Ngram corpus.
- Gaps are left as gaps. Where the record is too thin to be fair, we would rather show nothing than guess.